Okay - a bit provocative this one but it has been swimming round my head for a bit now...

Back in the day (rose tinted removed please) which was the better bike and why?

The best bike I ever owned was an 850 Commando - and I am not ashamed to say it is the reason I own a Bonnie today (the nearest to the experience without the constant tinkering and bruised kick start leg!).

My Bonnie comes very close and aside from the Commando non of my other 10 bikes compare.

As someone who wasn't around in the 60's and had a pram/bmx in the 70's I am interested in how this one goes

Very hard to compare. In my opinion, the best Bonnevilles were the early 60's models when the Bonneville ruled the world, and the best Commandos were the '69-70 models. And I dearly want a restored "S" model.

I don't think they had Commandos in the 60's (not sure), but they had the Norton Atlas.
Both the Trump & the Atlas were Lucas nightmares.
My Bonnie was better looking, though.
Pretty sure the 850 would take the 650.

The Commando came out, in 750cc form, in 1968. Before the Commando, the 750cc Norton was the Atlas. The Atlas had the famous "Featherbed" frame that Norton developed for the Manx racers. The "Featherbed" frame and "Roadholder" forks gave the pre-Commando Nortons fantastic handling. Unfortunately, the Norton engines were very unreliable. That's why Tritons (Norton frame with Triumph engine) and Norvins (Norton frame with Vincent engines) were very popular custom conversions.

But when it ran, there was nothing like it. The handling was great. Nothing could beat it on a winding road. I left Triumphs, Harleys, Corvettes, and even Panterras in the rear view mirror (which was useless due to vibration).

I rode a Commando once, but never owned one. When the Commando came out, Norton owners were disappointed because they kept the crummy engine and got rid of the great frame.

My T100 is just like the Atlas should have been. You can see from the picture of me on the Atlas that the Hinkley Bonneville frame has been strongly influenced by "Featherbed". Not only does it handle well, but the T100 is always ready to take me out and always brings me back.

The old days were good then, the new Bonnevilles are way ahead.

raproe from T.O.

[ This message was edited by: raproe on 2005-06-10 14:12 ]

"....by its very nature, a single-tracker is in unstable equilibrium, i.e., it cannot, when stationary, stand up by itself."

I agree with both Tex and Raproe. I have a '72 Norton, also. The T100 is better in every way, but does not have that 'raw', sort of 'on the edge' feeling. It is also gives a feeling of higher risk, when you ride. even when it is running well. Some of this is due to the little 3.25 Dunlops, front and rear. And people topped these out at 100+ mph.
The Commando frames had what was called an 'isolastic' suspension for mounting the engine and other components, which were rubber mounts, and did reduce the vibration, which was mammoth. The 750 Commando, particularly the '72' Combat version (65 HP & 10:25 Compression ratio), had really exceeded the capabilities of the engine-it was the same block as the Atlas 650.
My hours on the Norton are much reduced, and I feel great about not ruining my knee further to start, and not having Amal carbs and Lucas electronics.
There is a sort of daring to the Nortons, but I just love the T100. Despite this, I had to get the Thunderbike reverse-cone silencers, as the look of the Commando has always captivated me. And the look of the Commando is still superior, in my eyes.
Both great bikes.

Register Now

In order to be able to post messages on the Triumph Forum: Triumph Rat Motorcycle Forums forums, you must first register.
Please enter your desired user name, your email address and other required details in the form below.

User Name:

Password

Please enter a password for your user account. Note that passwords are case-sensitive.

Password:

Confirm Password:

Email Address

Please enter your valid email address, that can receive an automated confirmation message. Otherwise, you won't be able to gain full access.

Email Address:

OR

Log-in

User Name

Password

Remember Me?

Human Verification

In order to verify that you are a human and not a spam bot, please enter the answer into the following box below based on the instructions contained in the graphic.